Bagan was considered to be the heart of Myanmar over the centuries. It burts of spiritual creativity which lasted for two and half centuries , beginning in 1047 and ending in 1287 when Kublai Khan raided the city.
One the main attraction is the “Bagan Archaelogical Zone” which occupies an impressive 26-sq mile area.
Sunrise and Sunset is the best part of the day to view the temples/ pagodas.
Getting inside Bagan is not free. We paid $15 per person to get into the city. Make sure you do not loose your entrance ticket for the duration of your stay.
We took a night bus from Yangon and arrived in Bagan around 4 am in the morning just in time for the sunrise and it was beautiful.
There are several ways to tour the site and we decided to rent a horse carriage for the day and it was a good idea indeed. Our driver and tour guide took us to a lovely place to watch the sunset.
Waiting for the Sunset at one of the temple.
Another Panoramic view of Old Bagan.
One of the many Pagodas you can around Old Bagan. I kept saying “Old Bagan”, since that is what most of the local refer to the archaeological site. New Bagan refers to where most of the local lives.
Our ride for the day. Very comfy and keep us out of the sun.
December is considered to be one of the Dry season and it can get hot in the day. There are barely any shades around till you get to the Pagoda.
Our very hardworking tour guide for the day.
You can also meet local selling this kind of art. They claim to be the one making it. Well technically they do paint it. It’s one of those do it yourself painting with already patterns on it and all you need to do is paint it. I got suckered into buying one and later found out that almost everyone is selling the same thing.
And in all pagodas, small or big, shoes are not allowed so it would be advisable to bring an extra pair of socks or wet wipes to use afterwards.
Bagan is an amazing place to visit. A place full of history. If not for invaders, I wonder how the city would have flourish. What kind of philosophies or philosophers or scholars have studied there. If only those rocks, pagodas could talk, I wonder what kind of stories they would tell.